Mickey Gast

I don’t have room for more rhododendrons in my garden. There! I’ve said it!  Yet, I find myself taking rhododendron cuttings this August, just to have some backups. My usual …

In my mind, I’ve always associated hollyhocks with summer holidays at the beach. Even this year, my beach vacation was punctuated with oooh-ing! and aaaah-ing! over the majestic hollyhock torches …

I walk outside into my garden, in the dappled light that’s still lingering past 10 PM. It’s a few days past midsummer; my work day is long over, but the …

The path going past my rhododendrons is looking extra worn out, and I’m the reason why. You see, I was pacing back and forth for a month in anticipation of …

The only reaction I seem to be capable of whenever I see lupines in a garden is to stop and stare. Some people call that admiration, others might call it …

I was standing in the middle aisle of my local garden center holding a tray full of plants. After having spent the better part of fifteen minutes perusing the hanging …

I like big boastful plants. A quick perusal of my article portfolio on this website will show that whenever I write a single-plant article, it tends to be centered around …

Do you have any little free libraries in your community where you can take a book for free or leave a book for your neighbors to take home?  Imagine the …

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a gardener in possession of a balcony must be in need of a container arrangement. Or at least this has been my truth …

My first foray into planting gladioli took place exactly ten years ago, to the month. On a whim, I picked up a bag of gladioli bulbs while I was “foraging” …

As an introverted writer, I’m really fun at parties. As soon as new acquaintances find out that plants and gardening are how I spend my work days as well as …

After a flurry of starting seeds, transplanting perennials and planting summer bulbs, I’m now turning my attention to creating a couple of container displays.  The last of the spring bulbs …

Bloom bloom bloom, now let me hear you say way-ooh! I debated on whether or not that should be the intro to my article; but there’s something about the blanket …

After a well-deserved summer vacation, most people generally come back home with a few souvenirs; or maybe sporting a nice golden tan; or, as is the case of my husband, …

At any given moment, I’m ready to shout from the rooftops all the ways in which gardening is helping me take care of my mental health. In addition to teaching …

Most of the ornamental plants that I’m growing in my backyard are decidedly not native to the Northern Hemisphere where I garden. My camellias are native to Asia, as are …

As I’m writing this article, closely on the heels of the spring equinox, I’m looking out the window at my garden just starting to wake up from its slumber. One …

I cherish fleeting moments in the garden, but I sometimes think that not much else seems as fleeting as the blooming and fading of camellia flowers. After months and months …

After months of impatiently glaring at the garden (as if it was its fault the weather was miserable) and having my nose stuck to the window in anticipation of spring, …

Between you and me, I was itching to start my dahlias as soon as I hit publish on this article on how to overwinter them. But as I’m writing this, …

It seems like only yesterday I was writing an article on how to prepare your roses for the winter months. While at the same time, it also seems like this …

If I had read clematis care advice before buying a single clematis plant, I would have surely abandoned the purchase altogether. While I am generally pretty savvy about deciphering plant …

“I can totally start these flowers from seed,” I mumble under my breath as I weave my way around stands upon stands of starter plants at the gardening center on …

I’m writing this article in early February and the countdown to spring is on. I can almost smell the change of seasons in the air. The days are getting noticeably …